We love playing with power tools. But buying a tool isn't the end of the story—to get the most out of a chainsaw, and to keep it in working shape, you'll require a few extras.

So you've bought a chainsaw and your wood cutting worries are over, right? Not so fast, Paul Bunyan. Yes, from now on you'll save a bundle on your fuel costs as you cut your own firewood. But there's a lot that goes along with owning and operating a chainsaw if you have any hope of using it safely and efficiently.

The Essentials

A few specialized hand tools are all you need to keep your saw in working order. The chainsaw should come with a scrench (a combination screwdriver and wrench) for basic maintenance. (If you've already lost it, you can always get a replacement like this one from the Oregon company.

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You'll also need a basic sharpening kit and depth gauge, sized for your specific saw and chain. Depending on the hardness of the wood you're sawing, or if it's frozen, you'll need to lightly file the saw's teeth at regular intervals. Some woodcutters file the teeth every time they fill its gas tank, or every second tank. Bring the chain in for professional sharpening after you've filed it several times yourself.

Don't scrimp on safety gear when doing chainsaw work. You'll need a chainsaw helmet with face screen, chaps, and gloves. And don't ignore footwear. Regular work boots are okay if you're using your chainsaw in your backyard, but if you're out in the woods, it's safer and more efficient to wear logging boots.

Never go into the woods without a well-stocked first aid kit with at least one specialized blood-clotting bandage. It's no joke. Cutting yourself with a chainsaw in the backyard is bad enough. Cutting yourself out in the woods could put your life at risk. If you're planning to cut in the deep woods, get yourself a traffic safety flag of some kind and post it on the side of the public road wherever you turn off to do your work. In the event of an emergency, you'll need to give a 911 operator your location. And even if you're connected to the operator via GPS, a visual such as an orange flag will make you much easier to find.

Round out your logging kit with a batch of felling wedges and a cant hook. You'll pound the wedges into your cut to keep the tree from leaning back on the saw and pinching it. Wedges are also helpful after you fell the tree; you can pound one or more into a crosscut to keep a leaning log from pinching the saw as you crosscut. A cant hook is a piece of logging gear that will quickly become indispensable. It's a gigantic hook used for turning and positioning logs. I got by for decades without one, then bought one a few years ago and felt like a complete idiot the first time I used it. I should have bought one much sooner.

The Supplies

You'll need fresh fuel, a gas can you can carry into the woods easily, and two-stroke oil with fuel stabilizer mixed in. Fuel stabilization is important. Today's ethanol fuel can go bad in no time, especially in cold weather. Given that a chainsaw runs at high rpm (often in excess of 10,000 rpm), it takes only seconds to ruin an engine.

Ideally, you should have a spare chain (or two, if your cutting conditions are harsh) and a spare bar.

Read the owner's manual to find out the saw's grease requirements. The saw might have come with a semidisposable grease gun sized for chainsaw lubrication. If not, ask the dealer or purchase one online.

You'll also need bar oil. Use summer weight for hot-weather cutting and winter weight (slightly thinner) for the winter months.

The Extras

Coveralls: I do the vast majority of my woodcutting in the winter, and I find the best way to stay warm and relatively clean is with a pair of baggy, 10-ounce-cotton coveralls. I wear blue jeans and a work shirt underneath. Yeah, I take some ribbing when I put these on, but I'm a lot cleaner for it, and my wife appreciates me not dragging wood chips into the house. (I keep the coveralls rolled up in my woodcutting duffle bag, along with the chaps, boots, gloves, helmet, etc.)

Log Dolly: Sometimes it's better to move logs in sections and then saw them up outside of the woods. In that case, you might consider investing in a log dolly. It's expensive, but so is back surgery.